character-growth
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Camelot Unchained Q&A talks PvP looting, physical growth, and crafting
There's a new community Q&A up on the Camelot Unchained site dealing with a wide range of topics concerning this up-and-coming RvR MMO. The topics in it range from hooded cloaks (yes, they're in) to just what players will be able to loot from enemy corpses and structures. Perhaps one of the most interesting pieces of information is that the team is putting in a physical growth system similar to the one that was promised but never delivered to Warhammer Online. Mark Jacobs confirmed the feature: "I'm happy to say that yes, certain races (I won't commit to all of them yet) will have meaningful changes happen to them, both cosmetic and gameplay. For example, our Dvergr might have more stone covering their body and their beards will grow. Other examples could be with our HelBound's faces, Hamadryad's tails, etc." The Q&A also addressed the role and importance of crafters, emphasizing that those players will be able to generate basic materials from their land and that they'll "contribute majorly" to battles.
The Soapbox: Level the playing field
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. Levels exist in every single MMORPG on the market today. There are games that eschew the class-level format popularized from EverQuest onward, but even those games still feature levels of one variety or another -- your character in EVE Online might not be a Level Seven Warship Pilot, but she still has certain skill levels at the right levels to make her effective. Levels are a great way of marking character progress, of showing a character growing in power and competence over time. They're also a great way to cause all sorts of problems, from PvP to PvE, from disparities in high-end play to the infinite frustration of having to gain twenty levels just so you can play with your friends. And unfortunately, the obvious solution of just removing the blasted numbers doesn't actually fix things. Levels are a great advantage to MMOs, even as they're also a big hindrance.
Elsword hacks and slashes into open beta
Ever wanted to star in your own comic book? Well now you can get a feel for what it would be like to hop through lovingly inked panels by jumping into the colorful world of Elsword. The manga-flavored MMO enters open beta today, offering a unique Otaku experience for those who aren't afraid of a little over-the-top action. Elsword is a side-scrolling MMO that eschews subtle combat for frantic button-mashing. As you level up, your character will not only grow in abilities, but actually have their look and voice change as well. The game offers solo adventures, co-op dungeon runs, and PvP battles. Elsword's open beta will continue through May 4th. You can get in on the action by signing up on the official website, and don't forget to check out the first look at Elsword we did earlier this month! %Gallery-120229%
The Daily Grind: Should your characters age?
For a genre that prides itself on creating a virtual life for imaginary characters, many elements of real life are conspicuously absent. Like bathrooms. Why don't your characters ever need to go? What would be so wrong about having a third bar under "health" and "mana" titled "bladder?" Okay, bad example, but you get the gist. Seeing as how MMOs attempt to convey the journey of life and accumulation of knowledge and experience through leveling, it isn't hard to imagine a game in which your characters age as you progress. In strategy games like The Sims and some RPGs like Fable, aging is built in to the system, adding a layer of immersion as you see your characters grow older as time goes by. When you contrast this with the stuck-in-amber preservation of MMO characters, forever beautiful and flawless, a possible missed opportunity beckons. When developing Warhammer Online, Mythic got players excited about a "character growth system" where your avatar would gain size, facial hair and scars with age. While this got the axe, it also got players thinking and talking about the subject. So should characters age in MMOs? Would the immersion be worth the difficulty and debate over how such a system would function?
